It's no big mystery what PBS is trying to tout this year, if their bag o' swag for journalists at the TCA press tour is any indication. Jane Austen action figures (complete with quill pen and a copy of Pride & Prejudice) were among the goodies, as a reminder to everyone of the Jane-a-Palooza they've got planned for January.Masterpiece Theater's executive producer, Rebecca Eaton, claims the Andrew Davies'-directed overhaul of Austen's oeuvre is their best bet for luring in younger viewers to the classic Sunday night series, calling it classic literature's closest thing to "Sex In the City."
Eaton also defended the decision to no longer have a host introduce the movies (as in the days of Alistair Cooke and Russell Baker). "Choosing a host is harder than choosing a husband or a wife," she says with a tongue-in-cheek nod to Austen's plots. "The stakes are higher somehow."
Buy your own Jane action figure here.
I miss the introductions!
ReplyDeleteMe too! there's something comforting about a grey-haired old man in his leather wingback chair telling us what's up and getting us all psyched.
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